Generative Choreography

A deep dive into the experimental score for dance and how it is a form of generative art for live performance

Circling

building an altar of things that cannot be bought

Altar Me

a collective purge, a shared sacred riot, a profane gathering, an invitation to be in ceremony with coven through a participatory altar making ritual in this figital performance to build an altar together of things that cannot be bought. by bringing an offering that cannot be bought for the flesh altar we create sacred practices together to resist capitalism, authoritarianism and the patriarchy.

the secret gathering

 To prototype dance prompts as a live, immersive experience, the secret gathering, to further develop prompts to train our AI choreographer. Core team: joey zaza, cari ann shim sham*, Karsen Tengan, Demetris Charalambous, Meenah Nehme, with collaborators Richard Frye and test audience member Shloka Porwal. The week functioned as a rapid score-lab: testing participatory movement scores, generative visuals, live sound recording, projection mapping, deflation mechanics, and audience agency inside an inflatable dome architecture as empathy generator.

hovering

what does it mean to hold and be held

between here and there

with no where to land

gorgeous creatures

This is a meditation. This is a vision. This is a cleansing. This is a risk. This is a deep breath. This is a dose. This is a circle drawn on the ground at midnight. This is a dance for darkness. This is the club. This is the nap you need to take. This is a dance for the forest. This is rest. This is a memory. This is resistance. This is a dream we forgot we had.

An experimental task based score for creating and holding sacred space. An offering for the forest; for all that we've been through, and all that lies ahead.

This is a generative dance, every time it is performed it is different.

Developed by cari ann shim sham* in collaboration with Karsen Tengan & Demetris Charalambous & transferred into motion by Melinda Harrison, Alisha Khatwani, Meenah Nehme, Anna Speer, and Zane Tahvildaran-Jesswein

Sound score arranged by cari ann shim sham* with sound from the fxhash generative NFT project ░ ▒ ▓ █ by Joey Zaza #'s 2, 3, 6, 23, 30, 33, 35, 38, 40, 55, 60 & 62 video and sound design by cari ann shim sham* using cari ann's work and the fxhash generative NFT project "A Strange Loop" by Memo Akten & James Paterson #'s 39, 44 112, 152, 160, 195, 217, 219, 227, 276, 332

costume concept by cari ann shim sham* in collaboration with with Karsen Tengan, Demitris Charalambous, Anna Speer, Melinda Harrison, Alisha Khatwani, Meenah Nehme, and Zane Tahvildaran-Jesswein Lighting by Andre Segar

"gorgeous creatures" premiered November 16-18, 2022 in New York City

warning sirens

“warning sirens” is an all female experimental dance score investigating internal states, gesture, not seeing & seeing, the ideas of beckoning, warning, conjuring, and warrior dances to ask the questions:

what are you at war with?

what are you fighting for?

when will you open your eyes?

will you be ready when the sirens call?

experimental score & video art by cari ann shim sham*

costume design & fabrication by aminta remisosky

this dance was handcrafted and wild grown by cari ann shim sham* with the magic performance of sydney shu-yu chow, maxine zeliha flasher-duzgunes, sunhi willa keller, aminta remisosky, oriana siphanoum, garet wierdsma, coco joel williams, mackenna isabel wolff, & jordan wynn

fiber optic veil: design, fabrication & assembly by cari ann shim sham* frame fabrication by terry henderson rigging & cross bar by jon alaire & aj coté build assistance by joey zaza, garet wierdsma, sydney chow, aminta remisosky

lighting by michael cunningham premiered 2019 in nyc